Lincoln and Sagadahoc Multicounty Jail Authority for the Two Bridges Regional Jail began making plans for life without the Maine Board of Corrections, at their Feb. 11 meeting.
The board of corrections is currently unable to function for lack of a quorum. The five person board had been operating with three members until the recent resignation of Waldo County Commissioner Amy Fowler left only two members remaining. Governor Paul LePage has refused to appoint two members of the executive branch to the board, as required by legislation.
The authority voted unanimously to support the concept of the LD 186, An Act to Reverse Jail Consolidation, which if adopted by the Maine Legislature, will return the county jails back to control of the counties.
Although the authority agreed with the concept of the bill; there is no mention of a regional jail in LD 186; only county jails and the Maine Department of Corrections. Lincoln County Commissioner William Blodgett suggested the bill should be immediately amended to include Two Bridges, Maine’s only regional jail.
Sagadahoc County Sheriff, and Maine Board of Corrections Chairman Joel Merry told the authority members, “This bill is pie in the sky,” Merry said. “It could leave the counties in good shape; control back to the counties, I would think that is what we want.”
However, Merry said, he doesn’t expect the bill will pass as it is written; there will likely be many amendments before it is adopted. The bill will repeal the unified consolidation legislation that created the state board of corrections, and remove a cap on what counties can raise from taxpayers for corrections.
LD 186 requires the state to continue funding to the counties in the amount of $12,202,104, the amount budgeted in 2014-2015. Although the governor supports the bill, Merry said he is uncertain if the funding will remain intact.
Since consolidation of Maine’s county jails was first proposed by Governor John Baldacci in 2007, many county jails have had their mission changed, requiring those counties to send their offenders to one of the state’s four flagship jails, Cumberland, York, Somerset, and Two Bridges. These counties will need to find a place to send their offenders.
In an effort to increase the jail’s revenue, and to keep county taxes down, authority members discussed reaching out to Waldo and Knox Counties to determine if they would be interested in contacting with Two Bridges as a place to send their inmates.
“We have the capacity, and we should look at the best alternate to fill our facility,” Merry said. “Waldo County is definitely a potential partner.”
After a lengthy discussion the board agreed to contact Waldo and Knox County officials to set up a meeting to discuss the issue.
Jail Administrator Mark Westrum told the authority it is more cost effective to have a filled facility, which also generates more revenue. It was decided the jail’s capacity would be 180 inmates.
A motion was made to contact Knox and Waldo Counties to see if they would be interested in contracting with Two Bridges for boarding their offenders. The motion carried with one vote in opposition. Blodgett cast the dissenting vote because in his opinion the authority should have their figures in place as to what the cost per inmate will be before meeting with the officials.
Merry told the authority an amendment to LD 234 asks for supplemental funding of $2.488 million for the county jail system. The text of the amendment takes the authority to distribute payments to county jails away from the board of correction and gives it the Maine Commissioner of Corrections.
Two Bridges received about $2 million a year from the state for operational costs which is decided into quarterly payments. According to Westrum, the facility has received its third quarter payment in full, and is expecting the fourth quarter payment in April.
Since the board of corrections is unable to function, counties that are looking to place their inmates have no means to pay the receiving jails. Westrum asked the authority what he should do with the requests from other counties.
The authority agreed to take other offenders from other counties in an effort to help their fellow counties since Two Bridges is receiving its quarterly payments.
The next meeting of the authority is scheduled for March 18.
